Gulf News Edufair 2024 October Edition Day 1: 7th edition promotes education excellence across streams

And so the first day of GN Edufair comes to an end. An amazing turnout of visitors, students and parents provided a great start to one of the most awaited events on the UAE education calendar. It's an exciting round of discussions and seminars awaiting visitors on Day 2. We will see you tomorrow.

A healthy mix of parents and students was experienced on Day 1 at GN Edufair. An excellent bouquet of courses offered by premier universities from the UAE and abroad presented excellent avenues for students to plan their education journey at the UAE's premier higher education event.

Prof. Dr. Michael Gallimore, Head of De Montfort University Dubai, and Dr. Mohamed Abdulkhaleq Bamatraf, Director, Industry Relations Middle East, GEDU, Global Business Studies Dubai, discuss facets influencing the theme "Your career blueprint: Leveraging strategic internships, networking and key career moves," the last panel discussion on Day 1 at GN Edufair.

Tarun Gangwar, COO, Tetr College of Business and Dr Sujala D. Shetty, Associate Professor and Head, Department of Computer Science, BITS Pilani Dubai led the panel discussion on "AI chatbots in education: Smart learning tool or just another distraction?" on the opening day of Gulf News Edufair 2024.

Rashmi Menon, COO, UniHawk, speaks on the theme, Build a winning application profile to get into top universities

Over 1,000 students from leading schools in Dubai gathered at Gulf News Edufair in the morning, engaging with representatives from more than 50 universities. Students from Grades 10 to 12 explored future-oriented courses, and interacted with university representatives to gather information on admission criteria for various institutions.

Shreyas Tiwary, a Grade 11 student at Springdales Dubai wants to pursue a career in acting and directing. "I'm looking to study film studies after school," says Tiwary. "I'm a huge fan of Bollywood director Kabir Khan, and Shahrukh Khan really inspires me when it comes to acting. I haven't decided where to study film yet, so this fair has been helpful for exploring my options."

Diya Jain, Year 12, Gems New Millennium School, is visiting the Gulf News Edufair for the first time with students and friends from her school, and plans to study medicine in the UAE. "I and am exploring my options after graduating from school. Events like Edufair offer insights and information about the universities and courses available for pursuing my medical education."

Abdul Hamid Ahmad, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Gulf News was delighted to see a greater participation of prestigious local and international universities in the second edition of Gulf News Edufair 2024. "I extend my gratitude to our sponsors for their unwavering support," he said.

"We aim to provide a platform where students and parents can connect with representatives from these esteemed institutions, both locally and internationally,” Abdul Hamid added. “These face-to-face interactions empower students to make informed decisions about their higher education. This event, continuing through the weekend, is essential for parents as well, as they guide their children in charting their future careers.